As spring break approaches, students are now realizing just how fast the rest of the school year will go.
Spring break may be considered a break for younger students, but it can mean stress and academic pressure for high school students. The Thursday back from break, on April 17, juniors take the test they've been preparing for since the 8th grade: the SAT. Freshman and Sophomore students may only be taking the PSAT, but the time for their big test is fast approaching. Seniors aren’t exempt from the stress, and instead have to attend a meeting regarding their graduation in May, a heavy and sometimes depressing reminder of the end of their high school career.
“I’m spending a lot of the break studying for the SAT,” said junior Sofia Barajas-Gutierrez. “I feel pretty nervous about it, and I’m definitely going to be stressed the entire break.”
Right after the SAT, students must then prepare for the AP exams in early May. With multiple exams and harder subjects, overachieving students are at their most stressful part of the year. While class after the exam may be considered light in workload, the studying time leading up to the test is hard to manage.
“I’m not even sure where to start my studying for AP Pre-Calculus,” said junior Lyric McPhee. “I feel kind of confident in AP Lang, but I don’t know how I’m supposed to prepare for it. Don’t even get me started on the SAT.”
For students that may be struggling with the stress, some students find that starting from the beginning helps: find a youtube channel that features videos specifically for your subject and watch them in order while taking notes. One example for all social studies AP classes is Heimler’s History who has multiple videos going over each unit. Other students find that taking practice tests helps them prepare accordingly. Teachers can assign practice tests on Collegeboard that show a student just how the exam is going to look.
“Last year in APUSH it really helped to just go over the previous tests,” said junior Brooklynn Issa. “I would do a couple questions a day and work on it over time.”
While the stress might be overwhelming, it’s important for scholars to realize it is temporary. Once the exams are over in the second to third week of May, students are able to focus on the rest of their classes more intensely. Just keep looking forward to summer, and we can all make it through exam season together!
